Leggo il modulo di adozione prima di iniziare l'adozione.

Leggo is the first person singular form of leggere in the present tense, so it means I read or I am reading, depending on context.

• io leggo = I read / I am reading
• The subject io is not written because Italian often leaves subject pronouns out when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

So Leggo il modulo... means I read the form...

In Italian, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending usually shows who is doing the action.

• Leggo already clearly means I read
• Adding io is possible, but it usually adds emphasis or contrast:
  • Io leggo il modulo, tu no = I read the form, you don’t

So in a neutral sentence, leaving out io is completely normal.

Il modulo di adozione means the adoption form.

Breaking it down:

• il = the
• modulo = form
• di adozione = of adoption / adoption-related

In English, we often use a noun before another noun: adoption form.
In Italian, this idea is often expressed with di:

• modulo di adozione = adoption form
• literally: form of adoption

Here, di connects two nouns and works a bit like of in English.

So:

• modulo di adozione = form for adoption / adoption form

This is a very common Italian structure:

• bicchiere di vino = glass of wine
• scarpe da corsa = running shoes
• modulo di iscrizione = registration form

In this sentence, di adozione tells you what kind of form it is.

Prima di means before, and when it is followed by a verb, Italian uses the infinitive.

So:

• prima di iniziare = before starting
• literally: before to start, but in natural English we say before starting

This is a very common pattern:

• prima di uscire = before going out
• prima di mangiare = before eating
• prima di parlare = before speaking

So prima di iniziare l'adozione means before starting the adoption.

Because after prima di, Italian uses the infinitive form of the verb, not a conjugated form.

• iniziare = to start / to begin → infinitive
• inizio = I start / beginning depending on context

So:

• prima di iniziare = correct
• prima di inizio = not correct here

This is similar to English using before starting rather than before I start in this kind of structure.

The apostrophe appears because the feminine singular article la becomes l' before a vowel.

• la adozione → l'adozione

This is called elision.

Other examples:

• la amica → l'amica
• la idea → l'idea
• lo amico is not correct; masculine uses different article patterns

Since adozione is feminine and begins with a vowel, l'adozione is required.

In Italian, nouns have grammatical gender, and adozione is a feminine noun.

You can tell from:

• its article: l'adozione
• its ending: many nouns ending in -zione are feminine

Examples:

• la nazione
• la lezione
• la situazione
• l'adozione

So if you use adjectives with it, they must also be feminine:

• l'adozione importante

The two uses of adozione do different jobs:

1. modulo di adozione = the type of form
2. iniziare l'adozione = the process itself

So even though the same noun appears twice, the meaning is not redundant in the same way. The sentence is saying:

• first, I read the adoption form
• then, I begin the adoption process

Italian often repeats nouns where English might sometimes try to avoid repetition. The repetition is perfectly natural here.

Usually, no—not without changing the sentence.

• prima di iniziare l'adozione clearly means before starting the adoption
• prima di iniziare by itself would mean before starting, but it would sound incomplete unless the context already makes it obvious what is being started

So the full noun helps make the sentence clear.

Italian present tense often covers both ideas.

So leggo can mean:

• I read (habitually / generally)
• I am reading (right now)

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, it could mean either:

• I read the adoption form before starting the adoption
  or
• I am reading the adoption form before starting the adoption

If you wanted to emphasize an action happening right now, Italian often still just uses the present tense.

This is a very normal Italian word order:

• Leggo = verb
• il modulo di adozione = object
• prima di iniziare l'adozione = time expression

Italian word order is often similar to English, though it can be more flexible. This sentence follows a straightforward structure:

Verb + object + time phrase

So it feels natural and standard.

In most cases, iniziare and cominciare both mean to start / to begin, and either could work here.

So you could also say:

• Leggo il modulo di adozione prima di cominciare l'adozione.

Both are correct.
Iniziare may sound slightly more formal in some contexts, but in everyday use they are often interchangeable.

Yes, but in this sentence the noun itself does not mean the form. The form is modulo, and adozione specifies what kind of form it is.

So:

• modulo di adozione = adoption form
• adozione alone = adoption, the process or act

That is why:

• modulo di adozione is not the same as just adozione
• the sentence carefully distinguishes the document from the process

No, not with the same meaning.

• prima di iniziare = before starting
• per iniziare = in order to start / to start

So they express different ideas.

Examples:

• Leggo il modulo prima di iniziare l'adozione = I read the form before starting the adoption
• Leggo il modulo per iniziare l'adozione = I read the form in order to start the adoption

The second version suggests purpose, not sequence in time.